A binding decision on your business dispute in 10 business days.
Private and fixed-fee. An experienced independent lawyer reads both sides’ documents and decides. For disputes between businesses up to £150,000 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Run a business? Add our free clause to your terms and future disputes come straight to us.
- Fees from £650 + VAT
- No hearings
- No solicitors needed
Best Commercial Dispute Resolution Service 2026 – UKWinner, Corporate Vision Small Business Awards 2026
Finalist in four categoriesThe UK Small Business Awards 2026: Best Small Business, Best Online Business, Best New Business and Best Business Start Up
What is Dispute Neutral?
Two parties in a business dispute agree to let an independent neutral decide it. Each side sends its documents and a written case. The neutral reads everything and gives a written decision that both sides have agreed to accept.
Each neutral is a lawyer with at least 15 years’ practical experience. They apply the contract, the law and commercial common sense, and they do not act for either side.
- Not a court
- Not mediation
- Not a law firm acting for either side
- Time to a decision
- 10 business daysfrom when the matter is ready
- Fixed fee
- £650 to £1,500 + VATset by the amount in dispute
- Claims covered
- Up to £150,000England, Wales and Northern Ireland
Put Dispute Neutral in your contracts
Add our free clause to your terms of business. If a dispute ever arises, both sides have already agreed how it will be settled: no persuading, no court, no delay.
- Free, ready to paste into your terms, agreements or website
- Disputes up to £75,000 go straight to an independent decision
- Shows customers you have a fair, fast way to settle disagreements
- Gives slow payers less room to use a dispute as a reason to delay
If any dispute, claim or difference arises between the Supplier and the Customer out of or in connection with this agreement, and the total amount in dispute is up to and including £75,000 excluding interest, costs and VAT, the parties shall refer that dispute to Dispute Neutral at www.disputeneutral.com for determination by an independent neutral acting as an expert and not as an arbitrator…
For business-to-business contracts. Three versions available.
Resolved in three steps
Everything happens online, at a time that suits you. There is no hearing to attend.
Both sides agree
Start the case online and pay the fixed fee. Both parties then sign a short agreement electronically, setting out what is to be decided.
Send your documents
Each side uploads one written case statement and one file of supporting evidence, within the page limit for the case.
Receive the decision
The neutral reviews everything and issues a written, binding decision within 10 business days of the matter being ready.
Why not just go to court?
For most business disputes up to £150,000, the time and cost of court are out of proportion to the amount at stake.
| Compared on | Court | Dispute Neutral |
|---|---|---|
| Time to a decision | Often many months, sometimes years | 10 business days once the matter is ready |
| Cost | Court fees, solicitors’ fees, and the risk of paying the other side’s costs | One fixed fee, from £650 + VAT |
| Privacy | Hearings and judgments are usually public | Private and confidential |
| Hearings | You attend court in person | None. Decided on the documents |
| Convenience | You follow the court’s timetable and deadlines, and attend hearings during the working day | Upload your documents online whenever it suits you, even at 10pm |
| Outcome | A judgment | A written decision both sides agreed in advance to be bound by |
See our full cost comparison and our guide to the small claims court.
Who we help
Disputes between businesses where the answer is in the contract, the invoices and the correspondence.
See everyone we help, including consultants, logistics, facilities, events suppliers, commercial property and sales agents. Not sure? Email resolutions@disputeneutral.com.
The other side needs to agree. We make that easy.
Because the decision is binding, both parties have to agree to use Dispute Neutral. Many say yes once they see the alternative: they avoid open-ended legal bills, a public court case and months of uncertainty, and they get a full chance to put their side in writing.
- Send them our ready-made invitation, explaining the process in plain English.
- Next time, there is nothing to ask: add our clause to your contracts.
One fixed fee, agreed up front
The fee depends on the amount in dispute. It can be paid by one party or split 50:50.
| Amount in dispute | Fee | Written case, each side |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £4,000 | £650 + VAT | Up to 15 pages |
| £4,001 to £10,000 | £900 + VAT | Up to 25 pages |
| £10,001 to £25,000 | £1,200 + VAT | Up to 30 pages |
| £25,001 to £150,000 | £1,500 + VAT | Up to 50 pages |
| Non-money decisions (commercial matters) | £1,500 + VAT | Up to 50 pages |
Core contract documents do not count towards the page limit. Need more pages? You can move up a band. See full pricing
Common questions
Is the decision legally binding?
Yes. Both parties sign an agreement before the case starts, promising to accept the neutral’s decision. The neutral acts as an expert, not as an arbitrator, and the decision is final and binding except in cases of fraud or manifest error. If it is not followed, it can be enforced: depending on the matter, it may be possible to apply straight for summary judgment or to serve a statutory demand.
Who decides my case?
An independent neutral: a lawyer with at least 15 years’ practical experience who has no connection to either party. Before a case is accepted we check for conflicts of interest.
What if the other side will not agree?
We cannot decide a case unless both parties agree. Send them our invitation, which explains the process and why it is in their interest. Courts in England and Wales expect businesses to consider alternatives to court, and can take an unreasonable refusal into account when deciding costs. Read more.
Do I need a solicitor?
No. The process is designed so that business owners can take part themselves. You can use a solicitor or adviser if you want to, at your own cost.
How long does it really take?
The decision is issued within 10 business days of the matter being ready, meaning both parties have signed and uploaded their documents. How quickly you reach that point depends mostly on how fast both sides send their papers.
Free tools and guides
Plain-English help with unpaid invoices and business disputes.
Statutory interest calculator
Work out the interest and compensation you can add to an overdue invoice, using the live Bank of England rate.
Open the calculatorLate payment
Getting paid, final demands, interest and recovery options.
Read the guidesLegal process guides
Letters before action, small claims and the alternatives to court.
Read the guidesLegal updates
Changes in the law that affect how business disputes are resolved.
Read the updatesGet a binding decision in 10 business days
Fixed fees from £650 + VAT. Both businesses agree, send their documents, and an independent lawyer decides.
Prevent the next one: add our free clause to your terms of business.